Kantaro Suzuki

Kantaro Suzuki (18 January 1868-17 April 1948) was Prime Minister of Japan from 7 April to 17 August 1945, succeeding Kuniaki Koiso and preceding Naruhiko Higashikuni.

Biography
Kantaro Suzuki was born on 18 January 1868 in Izumi Province, Japan in the Sekiyado Domain. In 1884, he graduated from the Imperial Japanese Navy Academy, and during the First Sino-Japanese War he commanded a torpedo boat during the Battle of Weihaiwei. In 1903, he became a commander, and he fought in the Russo-Japanese War, leading them at the Battle of Port Arthur and the Battle of the Yellow Sea. From 1914 to 1917 he was Vice Minister of the Navy, and he held several naval posts. On 7 April 1945, Prime Minister Kuniaki Koiso resigned following the defeat at the Battle of Okinawa during World War II, and he was 77 years old when he became Prime Minister. He negotiated peace with the Allied Powers, and the militarist faction twice attempted to assassinate him on 14-15 August 1945 in the Kyujo incident. After the surrender of Japan became public, he resigned from being Prime Minister, and he died of natural causes in 1948 at the age of 80.